Amare Ab Invito
by seasaltmemories
Summary: AU where Yuri defeats Yugo in time to interrupt the Leo vs. Reiji & Yuya duel. When faced with the sight of Rin trapped, one feeling consumes his being: to get her away from Leo, no matter the cost. Faced with being kidnapped again, Rin searches for a way to escape from Yuri, find Yugo, and go back to Synchro. However both learn that there are forces in play outside their control
1. Chapter 1

Rin woke on a bed that wasn't her own.

If she was fair, the last time she had woken up in her personal bed was years ago. In Synchro she often fell asleep either in the middle of late night projects or crashed on Yugo's mattress with him. Then for the past few months in the tower here, she had used the nice one that had been too soft to sleep comfortably in. This one was still better than the old mattresses they had scrounged out of the junkyard, but it also had a certain degree of use that made its covers less suffocating than the tower's had been.

"Finally," A familiar voice drawled, sending shivers down her spine. Immediately she sat up to see its owner lounging on a counter across from where she laid. While he shared the same face as Yugo, those magenta eyes were too intense to ever allow her to mistake the two.

Memories flooded her senses-but not of that night he had stalked her down with no remorse. Instead a new set surfaced as their gazes met.

 _Just a few minutes ago she had been with Yugo in the tower, where had he gone? Where was she? All Rin could do in this tube was watch three girls with her face plead to another Yugo look-alike as her life force was drained. Nobody even acknowledged she was there, not even the Professor guy telling confusing stories about previous worlds. Was this how she was going to die-alone in a crowd that couldn't care less if she existed?_

 _Just then, an explosion went off in the main room. Rin couldn't see what was happening from her angle, which somehow made everything all the more frightening. She tried moving closer to get a better look when suddenly, the glass surrounding her shattered into thousands of pieces. In a flash she had her arms raised to shield her face from the brunt of the damage. Still it took all her willpower not to cry out in pain from that shards that nicked the rest of her._

 _Before she could recover, a strong arm snaked itself around her waist, pulling her roughly against their chest._

 _Rin struggled to break free of her captor, screaming, kicking, whatever it took. A fire burned in her chest, and she would not let anyone else, no Tops, or Academia, or whoever this was continue to treat her like an object to be tossed from person to person. However when she saw their face, that blaze froze._

 _"Yugo..." She hadn't even realized she had murmured the name until he turned his head to address her._

 _"Don't call me that name." One glare from those slitted eyes snuffed out what little remained of her spark._

After that, her memories became vague and disorienting. She couldn't tell if they were actually real or a figment of her imagination. Regardless she was certain she was here with the not-Yugo, and the fact she had let herself be taken by him again was enough to rouse her anger.

"You're going to tell me what's going on and why you took me, and you're going to tell me now."

He hardly seemed bothered by her threat. Those magenta eyes just kept studying her with the same intense fervor. Still this time Rin refused to let herself waver underneath his gaze. In the the light, it was just as human as hers. And if he was human, that meant Rin had a chance at beating him.

With a deep breath, she drew herself up to her full height,

"I demand you answer me. If Academia needs me so bad I can-"

"Academia didn't order this." His words were clipped and short. "The only thing you need to know is that as of now, you are mine and mine alone."

With that, he jumped from his perch and made his way to a door. In a flash, Rin was up and racing to reach it before him; however, it closed in her face with the decisive click of a lock.

Rin was trapped. Again.

* * *

Despite the depressing situation, Rin didn't give herself time to mope. The Yugo look-alike hadn't given her much useful information, but if he had really gone rogue as he had claimed, then it was unlikely he had an accomplice to help guard her. If she could escape then she'd just need to find Yugo again, and they'd be back home in no time.

Her heart clenched in her chest at the thought of Yugo. Back in the tower she had tried (and often failed) to avoid thinking about him, but now after their brief reunion, it was impossible to do so anymore. Was he ok? She had been so mean to him, too caught up in trying to appear strong to admit how much she had missed him. Would he be able to find her again? If she was right about this not-Yugo working alone, then there wouldn't be a larger organization to track down like last time. She wasn't even sure where she was, how could she depend on him to know?

Rin took a deep breath. That was all the more reason to focus on getting out on her own. In the tower she had lost hope, but maybe this new environment would be less secure than the previous one had been.

The first order of action was to make sure the exit was really locked securely. She would have been lying if she said she had never had to "persuade" a few doors open in the past. Regardless this one seemed to be dead-bolted and unaffected by her fiddling around.

She tried checking for other alternative exits, but there weren't any other doors or even windows. All there seemed to be was the small living room/bedroom combination she had awoken in, an adjacent kitchen devoid of much food, and a simple bathroom. Everything was working more or less-there was both electricity and running water-but Rin was hesitant to try any of it. Even now she didn't understand where the blanks in her memory from Yugo finding her to being trapped in that tube had come from. While she didn't consider herself the paranoid type, there was no telling if she had been drugged or worse.

Rin collapsed back on the bed with a sigh. She was expecting too much to be able to find a way out just like that. At the very least she felt more comfortable here. The tower may have been a cage, but it was gilded with a sort of neatness that had made the situation all the more uncomfortable. It was like being stuck in a high-class hotel you knew you couldn't afford. At least this was closer to the type of quarters she had lived in most of her life. This might turn into a waiting game of sorts, so she might as well feel comfortable here.

 _You know life sucks when you can find something good about being kidnapped._

For all she had lost, she still had her humor.

That was good. She was going to need it.

* * *

It was ironic that Yuri was the one being hunted now. If it had happened to anyone else, he would have laughed at the situation. Instead though all he could do was gasp for air as he hid on the roof of Academia. The location lacked any real usefulness for stealth, but at the moment all he could concentrate on was catching his breath as he pulled his knees close to his chest.

It seemed in the time-frame since he had grabbed and secured the Synchro girl, that Sakaki Yuya and the rest of his group had retreated while the Professor had placed a bounty on his head. He couldn't hold back a groan at the realization. Fantastic, not only had he lost his chance to become one, but now he had a swarm of flies after him. Even if they weren't particularly threatening, it was a hassle to swat them away and look for Yuya. At this rate it could take weeks before there was another confrontation between them.

Yuri pressed his forehead against his knees in frustration. It was all that Synchro girl's fault. He had let himself get distracted by and had lost everything for it. He told himself she had to be punished for this, carded and torn to shreds, but a wave of revulsion passed over him. It was eerily similar to the feeling of seeing her in that tube.

 _This must have been what godhood felt like. Yuri couldn't imagine a being more powerful than he was now. Like a lion on the prowl, he stalked towards the throne room. Only one thought consumed his being: to finally, after all these years, become one again._

 _With a wave of his hand, he tore down the doors. There were several others in the room as well, but they didn't matter. Yuri knew only one person would hold his complete attention._

 _He had just been wrong about which person that would be._

 _Magenta eyes met golden as his body was frozen completely in place. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but stare at her in shock. Then his body snapped into motion, like it was being pulled by an unknown force. Part of him questioned why he was doing this, why he cared at all about one girl when Sakaki Yuya was right there. But soon that was all drowned out by one dominating thought._

I can't let him hurt her.

 _He had never felt a more certain truth in his life._

So he hadn't wanted Leo to have her. He could make sense from that. After all, the fun would all be over once he got all the girls. This was a just a necessity to bide him some time. Knowing that she was safe from Leo would ease his mind and he could get back to searching for Sakaki Yuya. Simple, simple.

However it wasn't long before his thoughts drifted back to the Synchro girl. She had to be getting hungry at this point, especially considering that it was unlikely she hadn't been fed since-

Yuri had to resist the urge to claw his eyes out. It seemed he wasn't getting rid of this fascination with her any time soon.

* * *

Rin found her actions falling into a pattern of sorts. It made sense; even without an accurate way to measure the passage of time, she was a creature of habit. Still a part of her worried that she might be getting used to this all a little too quickly.

She tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind. Let them rest with the other worries dragging her down. The only thing that mattered was escape.

It didn't seem any closer at the moment, but at least there was a routine to her movements now. Whenever she woke up she would got to work searching every last inch, of whatever area she had sectioned herself off for the time. If that meant tearing up bookcases and upturning the sparse furniture, then so be it. Her experience tinkering with machines had taught her that there was no such thing as a perfect creation. If she studied her surroundings just a little bit closer, perhaps she could find a crack in her prison's defense. Maybe she could find a way to unlock the exit from the inside. After all, it made no sense to have a bunker's lock only activate from the outside. Maybe she could find a way to force her way out. She wasn't a weakling; with a little extra help, her muscle just might be enough.

She was trying to stay optimistic. It was hard to do that without Yugo to keep her spirits up, still she had to give it a shot.

It wasn't like not-Yugo would be any help. Thankfully she hadn't had to interact with him any since that first time. Any time she heard the door start to creak open, she would race to lock herself in the bathroom. She didn't want to talk to him, didn't want to even look at him. Just having to know of his existence, that someone so cruel and sadistic shared the same face as her Yugo, made her skin crawl. If she had to live her life out in this enclosed space then so be it.

Luckily he never seemed to stay too long. All she had to go off of her assumptions were a few auditory clues, but there was rarely much of an impact to his visits. Over time Rin found he had a few quirks but overall, it was like he was a ghost. If she had left a bookshelf torn down or the bed flipped over, he would put it back into place. He hardly seemed to touch a thing, but he would always make sure to restore the bunker to the state it was in when she first arrived.

There was also that habit of leaving food on the counter. It wasn't simply a candy bar or something small, but often entire meals. Their aroma was always so enticing, so tempting to her long empty stomach, yet Rin didn't let that stop her from throwing them in the garbage. It was painful after a childhood of scrounging around for whatever food was available, but just remembering the blanks in her memory made her shudder in horror. She still hadn't ruled out the food being that cause and that Yugo lookalike declaring her his didn't make her feel better at all. Rin didn't even drink the water, she was so afraid of being vulnerable around that creep.

So she ignored the lightheadedness and her racing heartbeat that never calmed down. She told herself it was the only option for her: to either escape or to die trying.

* * *

This was very... irritating.

Yes, Yuri thought that was the right word to describe how things were. It was like a gnat buzzing around his ear, not a major problem but still vexing. It was hard to pin down the exact reason it was bothering him, but it was bothering him all the same, and he didn't like it.

You'd think kidnapping someone meant you'd be seeing them at least some of the time.

Yet every time Yuri visited the bunker, there was neither hide nor hair of the Synchro girl to be seen. The first time he had returned only to be unable to find her, something he might have mistaken for panic had bubbled in his throat. Before anything could come of it though, he had noticed the bathroom door was locked. He had thought nothing of it at first, but it happened again and again with every visit.

It shouldn't have bothered him that she was taking care of her bodily functions, yet it did. Lately there had been a strange itch to see her in person, face-to-face. He told himself it was to only confirm her condition and make sure she was taking care of herself, but when he was at his most vulnerable, he couldn't deny that it ran deeper. This was a pain. Why did he have to care about such frivolous things? Nothing made sense.

Still that didn't stop him from going ahead and extending his visits bit by bit. It was never more than a minute, but slowly they grew longer.

And yet, the Synchro Girl still never seemed to leave the bathroom.

He didn't know what was the last straw, yet suddenly he found himself knocking on the door.

"You ok?" The words fell awkwardly off his tongue, and there was no reply. Yuri tried to keep his cool, but his knocking became more and more frantic. "Yo girl, are you alright? Answer me! I don't have time for dumb jokes, you know!" He knocked more and more, yet there was no reply. His heartbeat seemed to be racing faster than a hummingbird's. Why wouldn't she answer?

He couldn't take it anymore. Yuri threw open the drawers and cabinets until he found the ring of keys that went to the bunkers. His hands were shaking so much he could barely insert the bathroom key into the lock.

 _I can't let her affect me so-_

All coherent thought was lost the instance he found the Synchro Girl unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Warmth. It had felt so long since Rin had truly experienced it.

She was used to the cold. It was, after all, the environment she had grown up in; the Commons had always been frigid and unforgiving. After not just the the unforgiving coolness of the Commons and the lonely chill of the tower, this was much welcomed.

She felt another wave of warmth slide down her throat, so comforting and restorative. Slowly, she opened her eyes and tried to take in her surroundings; however, as her memories of the last few days came back to her, terror began to overwhelm her previously relaxed state.

"Don't tire yourself," Gently, the not-Yugo pushed her back down until her head was lying in his lap again. "You've already gone and gotten yourself dehydrated like an idiot. No need to wreck your health any further."

"What..." Her voice creaked from disuse.

"Dehydrated, look." He pinched her arm, and her skin sunk back down at a much slower pace than usual. "I'm not sure how someone could get so bad they pass out with so many resources around, but then you Synchro folk have a knack for not using your heads." Before Rin could respond, he shoved a spoonful of chicken soup in her mouth. The wave of warmth returned, and for a moment, there was nothing else she wanted to do but drink it in.

Still, between mouthfuls, she was all too aware of her position. Despite the Yugo lookalike's scolding, he seemed to only pull her closer as he stroked her hair in an odd rhythm. Rin was in no state to fight or resist him if he really wanted to have his way with her.

"Why are you trembling?" He gave an annoyed sigh. "Do you think I'd hurt you?"

There was a sincerity to his voice Rin wasn't used to; it almost made her laugh. After kidnapping her twice, he thought he had the right to be offended by her fear.

"Why should I think otherwise?"

"Because it makes absolutely no sense." He looked at her as if she had grown a second head. Again there was no sarcasm to his words, only an unsettling genuineness. Those intense magenta eyes held too much truth for her to assume he was lying.

So Rin said nothing and simply enjoyed the warmth of the soup. For a moment, she gave herself the privilege to simply exist.

* * *

After all the weird stuff that had happened to him, Yuri really shouldn't be surprised by anything now; however, as he locked up the bunker with the same practiced habit as always and turned to find the Fusion boy glaring at him, he couldn't deny the fluttering of his heart akin to a cardiac arrest.

Soon though Yuri noticed that he could see pretty clearly through the boy's torso. His feet also failed to touch the ground, and his voice sounded as if he was talked from behind a glass wall.

"Let Rin go. Now."

Yuri let out a sigh of relief. He was still out of commission and couldn't pester him for another duel in this ghostly state. Curious enough, but it shouldn't be a problem.

"Oi, did you hear me?! I don't want a creep like you touching her like that. Let her go!"

"You're talking about the Synchro Girl, right?" Rin. It might be useful to have a name. The more he thought about it, with the way the Fusion boy squealed it, how could he have not picked it up?

"Do you collect your own stash of girls? Who else could it be?"

Yes, of all the girls, why was it that she was the one that affected him so deeply? He had been pushing that question to the side lately, but there had to be a reason.

"This Rin is important to you, is she?" Yuri said.

Despite his semi-corporeal state, a faint flush painted his cheeks. "Well when you say it like that, yeah. But that's not important. What is important is you letting Rin-"

"The only reason I'm acting this way is because of your obsession." A cruel smile tugged at his lips as the puzzle pieces fell into place. "If you didn't really like the idea of locking her up from the rest of the world, I wouldn't have done it." He strolled past the ghost without a second glance.

Slowly a plan was forming in his mind. As powerful a motivation spite alone could be, the tugging sensation to see the girl, see Rin, had not faded away. Still it felt sated from the close contact with her. He no longer was in so much agony over the idea of moving further than ten feet from her.

He could do this. The girl was like an expensive wine, keep her locked away in the dark, but it's fine to take a taste or two. He wouldn't get attached, but a little fun with her couldn't hurt. Could it?

* * *

The Yugo lookalike left as if nothing strange had happened at all, so Rin tried to make nothing of it as well. She went back to her schedule from before. Even if the more she looked, the more escape seemed impossible. Even if exhaustion hung like a shadow and her stomach growled for at least another morsel of nourishment.

If Rin stopped, she'd be forced to face the growing desperate lingering at the corners of her mind. As much as she tried to ignore it, her longing for Yugo hurt like a dull ache. She missed him, so so much. Having to see the not-Yugo made the pain even worse. As much as a fighter she was, it would be so nice to give up and wait for rescue to come. They could be genuinely reunited and finally get the chance to go back home.

Still Rin knew to give up would seal her fate forever.

She heard the creak of a door opening. Without even thinking Rin retreated to her sanctuary in the bathroom and waited. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed, her breathing refusing to slow down. She began to wonder if he ever planned to leave at all, when suddenly she heard the jangle of keys and the bathroom door swung open. The not-Yugo's facial features were contorted into a confusing mixture of anger and something that might be mistaken for worry.

"Why are you hiding from me?" Despite his obviously unstable emotional state, he spoke in a calm and collected manner. For some reason that made him all the more terrifying.

"Can't a girl get some privacy once in a while?"

"Privacy is what almost got you killed." His words struck like a knife. "I don't care to monitor your behavior, but if I have reason to believe that you are taking longer than you should, I will investigate to make sure you aren't dying without my permission."

A shiver passed down Rin's spine. There was nowhere she could truly hide. The fact he could access her at her most vulnerable only countered his attempts at showing concern for her well-being. It seemed his interest in her would not go away, and things would change whether she wanted them to or not.

"Have you eaten since I last saw you? I'm not having you throw away any more of my meals on my watch."

She had to pick her battles. If he ever pushed too far, then Rin would fight tooth and nail. For this though, she could forfeit the fight as long as she won the war.

* * *

Tracking down where Yuya was only growing more and more difficult. The more time it took, the more forces and patrols the Professor could deploy and send out. It was disgusting how they acted all high and mighty about hunting down "the rogue soldier" as he had been branded. Ugh, he would have preferred to card the lot of them, but even he had to admit that sheer numbers would get to him.

There wasn't much to do, but head back to the bunker and wait it out. He didn't think of the implications of such an action until he was faced with wide golden eyes drilling into his form.

"...Good morning..." There was no need for a greeting, but he felt compelled to at least say something with her waiting like that.

Rin said nothing, just staring and staring and staring. Ugh, it made his skin crawl. He tried to ignore her as much as possible, scanning the bunker for something of interest; however, it was hard to concentrate on the different book titles when he remained so persistently aware of her presence. She didn't even seem to be occupied with a task or moving around. Whenever he looked out the corner of his eye, she was still just standing there and staring and staring and staring.

Why was he even entertaining the possibility of weakness? He had made peace with the notion that having her around would calm Fusion Boy, but now he was still allowing her to affect him. It was idiotic. She was his prisoner. He should be the one unsettling her nerves (despite the fact the idea of making her uncomfortable made his nauseous). She was just a girl, one he could handle without breaking a sweat. If this behavior proved annoying enough he could always-

"Hey."

Yuri hated how fast his head swiveled around, how he nearly jumped right out of his skin. Damn it, how had she snuck behind him without him realizing it?

Quickly, he tried to construct a controlled expression. "Yes?" This was the first time she had initiated a conversation, now that he thought about it. Very interesting to say the least.

Rin seemed to struggle to find her words for a minute, but then she spoke in a clear and level voice. "My cycle started. I need a pack of sanitary products. Pads would be preferable, but I can deal with tampons if that's all you can get."

Yuri blinked twice, trying to hide his confusion. "There's no reason for you to need anything extra. I supplied the bunker with all the necessities you could need."

A look of utter disdain replaced Rin's previously neutral expression. "You don't know what periods are do you? Hell, do I need to give you the sex talk as well?"

Yuri fought back a flush threatening to betray his true feelings. "Of course I do. Only an idiot would be ignorant of that." The extent of his education may only be composed of whispers in the hallway and lowbrow attempts at humor by his peers, but he would not let her embarrass him like this. It was trivial for Academia to linger long on that when they had a war to win.

"Then if you don't want me bleeding out all over your nice bunker, then you'll get me what I need."

Dealing with hundreds of Obelisk Force was preferable to this. He stormed out and locked the bunker up in a huff.

Who really was the one in control here?

* * *

When the not-Yugo returned, he came with a pack of pads in hand.

By now he had recovered his composure to seem unaffected, yet Rin relished her small victory anyway. The slight surge of power was a much needed mood-booster. Even as she went to work attending to her needs, her mind was racing with ideas.

She hadn't been joking when she had treated this as a war. As hard as it was to believe sometimes, her opponent was human, and therefore could be beaten. Last time she had merely bruised the Yugo lookalike's pride, but that meant other parts were just as vulnerable. As painful as the idea was, she had to get to know him more to find such a weakness.

When she exited the bathroom, she found him sitting awkwardly on her bed, careful to take up as little space as possible. While there was really not any other place to sit, it still unsettled her he chose that location. Heaven knows she had been an idiot to even joke about sex in her position. Just the reminder of his strange fascination with her made her want to run away as far as she can. Even so, Rin took a deep breath and pushed ahead. This interaction was necessary if she wanted to truly escape.

"What's your name?"

The not-Yugo was stunned by the question, as if he had forgotten she could speak. "Why does it matter to you?" He wrinkled his nose as if he caught the scent of a dumpster truck.

"No reason," She tried to hide her nervousness behind a nonchalant shrug. "Just for once I would like to know who is kidnapping me and why."

Silence hung between the two of them for a beat. Ugh, this was stupid and dangerous. She was gonna get herself killed or worse by poking around-

"Yuri," He answered in a quiet voice.

"Yuri..." It felt odd to assign a name to the monster that had haunted her for so long, but it fit. Along with his appearance, his name resembled Yugo just as much.

"As for why I kidnapped you-" He yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "-lets just say I ended up interested in you for some reason. Can't let the Professor have all the fun you know."

"Then is this a habit of yours?"

"Not really," His voice grew solemn as he turned his head to gaze at something she could not see. "People and me usually don't mix."

There was something larger than the two of them coursing through the air. It was impossible to explain, but it still managed to compel Rin to speak further on the subject.

"Ever had friends before? Am I really the first person you've ever cared about?"

Magenta eyes met hers dead on. While they were just as frightening as always, there was something else to them she had never noticed before.

"No, this is the first time I've thought of another human."

Human. That's what it was. His eyes looked so human now.

There was no pretending he was just a bump in the night anymore.

* * *

This Rin was a truly strange creature. While he admittedly didn't know much about people, she was unlike anything he had ever seen.

Most people reacted in one of two ways to him. They either cowered in fear or ordered him around like he was their attack dog. The former could be a bit fun to play around with and bully, the latter could be amusing when he turned around and bit them instead, but in the end the same routine all the time got boring.

Rin acted in neither way. She spoke with a sharp tongue and never offered a modicum of respect, and yet it wasn't from ignorance. As much as she tried to hide it, a flicker of fear would pass over her face during a moment of weakness. She knew what he could do, and yet she stood up to him. Even if he didn't have Fusion Boy's longing for her, how could he not be intrigued?

The patrols around the bunker refused to lessen, so Yuri decided to make the best of this time. He had stated that she was his. Might as well make good on the promise.

The first order of business was to get some entertainment. He hadn't realized how dreadfully boring it could be down there until now. So when he finally had the chance to leave again, instead of searching for Sakaki Yuya, he located her deck and brought it back to her.

The mere sight of those cards made golden eyes shine like rays of sunlight. For once in his life he was left speechless as Rin began to ramble about how she was sure they had been lost, how could he have found them? It felt strange to see her like that. Usually she barely smiled, but there a small one rested on her face as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

All his life, Yuri had followed one interest to the next, hedonism at his finest. So while he was unsure what this desire was exactly, there was no reason not to chase it as he did others.

He wanted to see her smile again.

It was a harder task than he had first assumed. She was still biting and cold, but even that was interesting to him. There was something alluring about letting one's bitterness show without a bit of shame. He brought up any conversation he could think of around her. It didn't matter most ended in her chastising him in some way as even those reactions would sate him. Still he was far from fully satisfied.

When Fusion Boy's longing got particularly strong, he'd lean in just a bit closer or let their hands brush as he gave her whatever item she had requested. That would only make those golden eyes go wide as she froze as still as possible. A part of him enjoyed invoking that reaction and drinking off her fear, but again something was missing.

The only time he managed to find his goal was in duels with her. She was a fierce warrior, ruthless to a core. Nothing gentle existed in the curve of her lip as she landed a combo, but it was better than anything else he had ever seen.

Rin was many things: distant, quick to lash out, and slow to show the slightest bit of warmth. Still she was more interesting than becoming one with Sakaki Yuya had ever been. He'd be willing to chase the thrill in his bones she gave him for the rest of his life.

* * *

It was strange how used to things you could become.

When Rin had started her plan of getting to know Yuri, she had never expected him to respond so enthusiastically. While he acted nonchalant about it, his behavior did nothing to hide his eagerness.

And as much as she hated to admit it, there was an endearing quality to it. She had never been much for social situations, but the isolation had taken its toll on her after all these weeks. Having someone, anyone who would respond to her was a privilege she had always taken for granted.

If she was honest, Yuri was starting to remind her of Yugo. Both of them had a single-minded focus and a need to experience as much as possible. Even without taking into account their resemblance, they both had an energy to them she had always lacked. There was something comforting about such a familiar presence.

But then he'd get too close for comfort and look at her with those hungry eyes. They'd share the slightest bit of contact and her entire body would go still as she imagined thousands and thousands of things he could do to her if he wanted to.

He was no Yugo, as much as she wanted him to be. There was no replacing the hole in heart that had been there since she had first lost him. Was he ok? Where was he? When would he come and rescue her?

As much as she hated to play damsel, the more she searched for a way out, the less it seemed possible. It had hurt to come to that realization in the tower, and it devastated her to reach it again. She was truly helpless and at the mercy of her captor.

So she continued to play along with any game Yuri had. If this was her fate, then it was best to stay in his good graces. And surprisingly, it wasn't that hard to do so. He seemed amused by every action of hers. He went out of his way to get her whatever she requested, even bringing back her deck and letting her feel like herself again for a few minutes. Her last hope was in studying this behavior and looking for the key.

Because if she couldn't find it, then her life might end up being like this forever.

* * *

The realization came to her in a flash of brilliance.

The two of them had just finished a duel. He had won as he usually did, smiling to himself self-satisfactorily, but Rin had wanted to maintain her unbreakable front.

"Seems like luck was on your side today."

"Luck had nothing to do with it, my dear," He smirked, oozing with arrogance.

"Hmm, I thought you said that was the case when I won last week."

"Well, it was the case then." Yuri shrugged as if they were trying to argue over the weather. "You're a skilled duelist, but unfortunately I'm simply better."

"Of course things are like that." She gave a sarcastic sigh.

"I tell it like it is. I'm sure you would devastate any Obelisk Force Academia could throw at you." Interesting, he still wore the same expression from before, the blatant display of pride and competence, even though the discussion had shifted to her. "You would be a terror on the battlefield, the likes few have ever seen." Magenta eyes stared into her's, a swirling storm of blood-lust and admiration. When their gazes met, everything started to click.

It was unbelievable she had never noticed until now, but Yuri seemed to be infatuated with her. Rin couldn't say if she had been too blinded by anger and desperation to notice at first or if this had only developed recently, but it was as plain as day once you looked for it.

Without thinking, she cupped his cheek and leaned in closely.

"I bet you would be even more amazing out there. You'd beat ten duelists without batting an eye."

He was absolutely still under her fingertips, barely seemed to breathe. For once the situation had been reversed. His previously relaxed features now stretched and strained with so much effort that they seemed ready to fall apart at any second.

Then Yuri slapped away her hand.

"I need to get back to work," His words were clipped and short. With that he turned away and left the bunker without another word.

Rin cradled her head in her hands. What had she been thinking? Even if it hadn't been idiotic to try her first attempt at seduction the second she thought he could be crushing on her, she might as well have yelled at him, "I am using you." For all she knew he might have not even understand what she was trying to do. Why would child soldiers know anything about romance if they didn't understand female biology? Either he had seen through her plan as if it were plastic wrap, or he had just gone off to do business as usual.

An observation hit her as she mused on that.

When he left, she had not heard the familiar click of a lock.

Immediately, Rin lunged for the doorknob. This time it gave away with ease to reveal a dark maze of tunnels.

She took a deep breath. There was no way to know where any of these lead. She could end up lost, maybe even die down there without ever seeing the sun again.

Still this was going to be her only chance, so with a burst of courage she took a step forward and took off.

The further she ran from the bunker, the more the lights dimmed. Her rabbit heart beat marched to the same tempo as her footsteps. Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. Don't get thinking about the worst possible scenario and every other horrifying conclusion there could be. Don't think, just run.

She remembered a story she was told as a child, about a hero who conquered a maze. Despite not having breadcrumbs or a magic piece of string, by simply keeping her hand on a wall and following it, she found her way out. No need for magic, just some clever wits. She could do this.

Rin tried to do everything the hero had done. She made sure to keep at a steady pace, even when her lungs burned like fire. She let her eyes readjust to the darkest as best as they could. She memorized the sensation of the tunnel ways, searched for different scents and their possible meanings, she even stopped to listen for sounds of wind and other things that would indicate an exit.

It was only then she heard another set of footsteps besides her own.

Before she had time to react she saw Yuri running in her direction, more a collection of rage and anger than a real person. She tried to do something, anything, but her legs wouldn't move and oh my god he was right in front of her now.

In one smooth motion, he swept her off her feet and put her over his shoulder. Yuri barely even slowed down his pace as they made their way to the bunker. Once they were back inside, he slammed her down hard.

"What the fuck were you doing?" His voice was low, but she didn't miss the way he all but snarled the question.

"I won't insult your intelligence. You know exactly what I was doing."

"True." He sucked in a breath of air between his teeth. "I guess I should ask why then."

Something in Rin snapped. "What's so hard to understand? I want to be free. I want to go home. I want to see Yugo again-"

"So it's about him then," Yuri scoffed. "I don't know why he still matters to you. He couldn't keep you safe like I do. He's nothing but a-"

"He's someone you will never come close to measuring up to!" A storm was brewing inside her now. Fear always brought along a chill to her bones that left her unable to act. Still if she must become cold, let her become a blizzard, a torrent of hail. Let her sap the life from him as the cold did from her. "When he finds me, he'll make you wish you were never born. We'll go back home together and win the Friendship Cup together and-"

"Your Fusion Boy is dead!" Yuri growled. "Nobody's going to come and rescue you, because I killed him myself!"

It was as if time had stop for Rin. Everything seemed to screech to a halt. "No, no, you're lying, no." Her mouth was moving on its own. "He's going to come for me, just you see!"

"Don't worry, in time you'll be the one to see," His words were leaden with exhaustion, as if he had come out a battle, yet he still wore a smug grin. "You can wait as long as you like, but he'll never come." With that he stormed off as before.

The click of the lock was deafening.


	3. Chapter 3

It was difficult keeping track of time in this after-Yugo era. Rin's memory of the initial aftermath was foggy at best. All she knew was that somehow she ended up back in her bed during the time and that a part of herself must have died with Yugo.

Grief seemed to swallow her whole. All this time she had been planning for the future, for their future, when the two of them would be together again. And in a handful of words, Yuri had taken it all away from her.

Maybe if she had been stronger, Rin would have stolen his duel disk and carded him. maybe she would have beaten him black and blue until he had apologized, no, until he had brought Yugo back to her side. She wanted to make him repay for his actions so much.

But the reality of the situation was that she was too weak to do any of that. Maybe if she had known from the start then she would have been able to act out, but even that was just wishful thinking on her part.

As much as she put on a show of having nerves of steel and an unflappable spirit, she was nowhere near as strong as Yugo. No matter what life threw at him, he could always turn it into something positive and useful. Sure, he could be a goofball and often needed someone to rein him in, but compared to Rin he might as well be Superman. Without his optimistic thinking, it didn't take long for her willpower to crumble to dust.

Realizing this only made his death sting all the worse. If one of them had to die, then it should have been her. Yugo would have persisted the way he always did. He would mourn but follow his dreams with the same passion and energy.

The best Rin could do alone was keep herself from falling apart completely, and even with such a simple task, it felt inevitable she'd fail eventually. It was hard to keep track of whether a day had passed or not. Sometimes she'd blink and find the day had raced past her, and other times she it'd feel as if she had lived an eternity only to find a few minutes had passed. Maybe she was going mad. Oh well, since the bunker didn't have any method of keeping track of time, she could go mad all the easier.

The only thing that kept her from letting herself waste away was the knowledge it would hurt Yugo to see her like this. He never doubted her strength like she did and would want to encourage her to fight back against life however she could.

Still that was so hard to do when life had already picked Rin up and wrung her of every last drop of energy.

So she'd stay and lie here. At least for another day. Maybe she'd be as strong as he'd want her to be then.

* * *

"Oi, wake up." Rin tried to rub the sleep from her eye, caught in the hazy realm located between dreams and reality.

Rin was roused from her slumber, but she made no effort to open her eyes.

"Shit, you look even worse than last time." A spoonful of chicken soup was pushed into her mouth, and that irresistible warmth from before was back in her life.

"I swear I can't figure out what goes on in your head sometimes." The warmth wasn't simply from the food but something less tangible. There had never been much room for soft things in the Commons, so from a young age Rin had been forced to look after herself. She had never thought much of it then. Why complain about being like everyone else? But despite her age, she still relished the opportunity to be nurtured by someone else.

"I'll take care of you, don't worry. Just relax and stay calm."

Slowly her eyelids fluttered open. "Yu-" The name died in her throat when she saw who it really was. The not-Yugo, his murderer. She rolled over and refused to look at him.

"See, here you go moping again!" Yuri grumbled. "I know he was important to you, but that gives you no right to throw a temper tantrum like this!"

It made perfect sense when her world was gone now. It honestly didn't matter what he said to her. It all could have been white noise and she would have felt the same, shattered beyond repair.

"Look the plan wasn't to kill him, at least at first. Still he's gone; you gotta accept that sooner or later."

A world without Yugo didn't make sense. Every step of the way he had been there for her. They were supposed to have grown up, lived, and died together. It wasn't fair. In the blink of an eye, everything had vanished.

"He didn't deserve you, you know. I don't think many people do, but he most of all. He had the chance to save you and failed. You deserve someone who can protect you."

The dull ache in her heart refused to fade away. Maybe it would never fade away. What was there for her, now that he was gone? What use was anything if it meant she'd still be alone with nothing but this chill in her bones to comfort her?

"...Look, this moodiness of yours wears on me, but if you try to behave then I promise to take care of you. I'll get you whatever you want, we can duel and do whatever you wish, just no locking yourself in the bathroom, none of this lying in bed."

Slowly Rin rose to face him, like a corpse that was trying to get used to moving again. Golden eyes looked into magenta deeply. She should hate him, despise every fiber of his being. No one would stop her if she bashed his head in right here, strangled him until his face turned the same shade as those damn eyes.

Yet she was so tired. And it wouldn't change anything. In the end Rin would still be all alone.

It felt like something else was controlling her now, like she was watching someone else who happened to look exactly like her (which wasn't a very strange thing nowadays).

She wrapped her arms around his torso, pulled him down so that he was lying in the bed with her, and rested her head right over his heart.

When she looked up to meet his gaze once more, it was unlike anything she had ever seen. There was such a beautiful mixture of joy and wonder she could have mistaken him for another person. Yes, it was really possible if she tried hard enough. Just focus on on the curve of his cheek and the sharpness of his chin.

Rin closed her eyes once more. This was selfish. Still, she'd lie and steal and whatever else it took to keep this warmth in her life.

* * *

Yuri had never been able to understand why people would put anyone else before themselves. It was so opposite basic logic. While Academia strove to be the most important thing in its soldiers' lives, it couldn't stop stories of warriors sacrificing themselves for another or lovers deciding to die together rather than apart. Even so he had never been able to connect with those tales. What could eclipse such natural instinct?

Well, now he would have happily run into a thousand blades to make this moment last just a few seconds longer. He would walk on hot coals or whatever else those leads in trashy novels professed. This was bigger than fulfilling certain bodily functions or scratching a particular itch. He never knew such a simple thing as being wanted could do this to someone.

Gently, he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Rin hadn't smiled in a long time, not ever since she had first touched him and sent his thoughts and feelings spiraling out of control. She truly was a crazy thing, but it was worth the world itself just to see her grin from his presence alone.

A sigh passed through her body as she shifted around muttering some nonsense. He couldn't believe such an action could be so endearing, but Yuri was still utterly charmed. Like her Wind Witches, she could captivate him with a single spell. He leaned in closer to try and hear what she was saying better.

The syllables slipped out in between breaths, a quiet, innocent thing. "Yugo.." She murmured without a care in the world; nevertheless he saw nothing but red as he threw her off her body and pinned her to the bed. The sudden movement, jolted her awake just in time to hear him growl.

"What did you say?"

Rin, his brave, untouchable Rin, only stared back at him, trembling like a leaf in the wind. She was truly scared like nothing he had seen before. A part of him wanted to punish her for this betrayal, but before he could act on the insidious desire a stab of pain hit him with an epiphany.

This would be nothing if she was simply a pretty flower to toy around with. No, the reason it felt as she had stuck a knife in his back was because he not only wanted her, but he wanted Rin to want him in return.

He let her go and began to hold himself. Man, he really was screwed if she could do this to him. He didn't know whether to laugh or scream.

He had to get out. He found himself walking. Where, he didn't know. Just away from her. He locked the bunker up and then stormed deeper into the tunnels.

"Yo, Fusion Boy!" It took all his self control to keep his words from descending into an incoherent snarl. "Come on out and let's settle this like men!"

"Let Rin go." In the time it took Yuri to blink, he materialized in front of him. While still far from fully corporeal, there was more weight to it than last time.

All the better. It would make it much more easier for Yuri to thrash him.

"Look I don't care about your damn parrot line. All I want to know is how she could choose you over me." It had been a challenge to accept his romantic feelings at first, even balking at the slightest sign of interest from Rin, but now he had confessed and she was still hung up on this waste of a duelist.

"I don't know why she'd ever choose you in the first place."

"I succeed in every place you fail. There is no area I falter as hard as you do. You could have an entire dimension full of people, but she's the only person I want to care about, so why won't you let me have her?"

"I have nothing to do with it," Blue eyes flared with emotion. "You may blame me for your actions, but I know who I am and I know what I would do. Rin knows me as well and knows I wouldn't hurt her. She could never trust you. How could she ever fall for a murderer-"

Yuri's reaction was instantaneous and animal. In a flash his hands was wrapped around Fusion Boy's neck. He pressed down harder and harder until black spots flickered before his eyes; Yuri was forced to let go only to realize he had been strangling himself.

This time, he didn't hold back his laughter. He laughed and laughed at the situation until he was near tears from it all.

"Why should I get so worked up over this? You're dead! There's no competition between a ghost and me. What's more, you are me! How can I lose against myself?" With that, Yuri began to casually stroll through the tunnels, a grin tugging the edge of his lips. Give her time. It may take a long period, but it was only natural that eventually she'd return his affections.

And if she didn't do so willingly, he could always make her love him.

* * *

Only when Rin was certain Yuri was gone did she allow herself to breathe again.

Her hands still refused to stop shaking, even now that she was certain she was safe. The image of Yuri's expression, half wild with anger, would not leave her head.

 _You say you know the danger of your situation and yet you throw yourself headfirst into it anyway._

Still it was hard to feel regret for her actions. It had felt good to be held like that, better than she had felt since she was first put in the tower.

Rin balled her hand into a fist. No, she had felt this good once since then. When Yugo had found her and she thought this nightmare might finally be over.

 _I never even got to tell him I..._

Rin wasn't afraid of emotions, but they were just so much more complicated than machinery. Once you got everything put together, they more or less always produced the same response. With feelings they always seemed to be all over the place.

So she had decided to simply let more adept people handle them. Yugo was always better at explaining why he was feeling a certain way and she could look at things from the logical side of things. She was the cool head who kept the two of them alive, but he lit up both their lives and made it worth living in the first place.

Rin knew she wouldn't find that light in Yuri. If there was any warmth in him, it was less like a gentle sunbeam and more like a raging inferno. She had seen plenty of women in the Commons play this game, hoping day after day that the man they loved would change because of their kindness, and none of them ever won.

Still the more she thought of Synchro, the less it felt like home. Even if she was able to return, what was the point? All that was waiting for her was an empty house with nothing but the cold to comfort her. Had anyone besides Yugo even noticed her absence?

Yuri wasn't Yugo, but maybe at this point the differences wouldn't matter so much. Rin wouldn't lie to him; she didn't love him. Still, at this point she would rather get burned than feel nothing at all.

* * *

When Yuri returned, he found Rin right where he left her.

He didn't know why this fact mattered to him, but it did. It seemed to communicate thousands of words neither cared to say. The only problem was he had no idea what that message said.

"Hello." There was no less awkward way to greet her intense stare than to just go on and push through. "Are you hungry?"

"...I don't want chicken soup..." She shifted her gaze so the now-cold pot suffered under the harshness of those golden eyes.

"I can cook more than chicken soup you know," He clucked his tongue, as if scolding a child. Without even waiting for a reply he pulled out a bag of rice and began frying it up.

This was stupid. Why was he doing this? He tried to at least come up with some half-assed excuse, but his attention was drawn away when he noticed Rin staring at the pan like it was magical. There was still the same sharpness, yet it didn't seem so suffocating in a context like this.

"Eh, you prefer this to soup? Could have told me earlier, we have plenty."

She didn't respond this time and instead stood up to set two spots at the counter. Yuri couldn't help but raising an eyebrow in confusion. Rin had never acted like this before, but he wasn't quite sure what to do. Instead of questioning things, he simply served them both a plate, then they began to eat in silence.

There wasn't much to the scene, but maybe that's what made Yuri so intrigued by it. It was so normal, domestic, like the stories of families he heard passed along the newest Academia recruits. He wasn't used to stuff like this, and yet it felt nice almost. Who knew this would be such an addicting drug: to feel wanted and a part of something.

On impulse, he reached across the the table to grip her hand. Those wide eyes were back to staring at him, as if he had grown a second head, and again he tried to form a proper explanation.

However, just as he opened his mouth she said, "I don't love you, you know." It hurt having to hear her say that so bluntly, yet she didn't pull away from his touch.

"I know." He squeezed her hand. "But could that change?"

"Probably not."

The conversation should have been done right then and there; still, neither one of them moved for a long time. Yuri had embraced the fact this was a stolen affection, so he was going to cling to it for as long as he could.


	4. Chapter 4

The process of falling in love was often said to either be instantaneous or so gradual you didn't even notice it. In a way it made sense to Rin that whatever this was, it didn't resemble either of the two.

Some days it was like before she had learned the truth about Yugo. They would chat and do things together with the same casual hesitation, testing the waters without trying to show it. For a little while it would seem things weren't so different.

But if one of them made the first move, everything would shift. If Yuri desired her affection or if the cold got too overwhelming and Rin tried to latch onto him for warmth, they'd switch to trying to understand this strange beast that was the two of them.

In the former case Rin was better at staying strong. She'd emphasize again and again that she didn't love him, even if it meant invoking his jealous wrath. She knew it was dangerous to resist him, but it was getting harder to care about the possible results of such actions.

In the latter case it was much to easier to give in, to swap magenta for blue and relish the presence of another living, breathing person. She'd parrot the same arguments from before, but what did they matter when wrapped in his embrace?

In those moments of weakness, regardless of who instigated them, she'd talk of things she had never told anyone else. She'd ramble on about the hate and exhaustion and rage that festered inside her like an infected sore.

The worst part of that was because Yuri would affirm those darker sides of her. She'd see the same madness and destruction she felt tearing at her soul.

Maybe that's why the two of them had become drawn to the other despite the impossible circumstances. Maybe she had deserved to lose Yugo and be cut off from the rest of society like this, Maybe that was simply the appropriate fate for the both of them: a sociopathic murderer and a broken shell of a Commons girl.

Maybe it'd be better to keep playing this game a bit longer.

* * *

It was getting hard to remember life without Rin.

Rationally, he knew it existed. What was fourteen years in comparison to a number of days, or was it weeks, or maybe months? Whatever. It didn't matter at this point. The main thing was, intellectually, he knew there was a before-Rin and a post-Rin world for him.

Still the boy from that BR era seemed like a different person at this point. How could he have managed without her by his side? At this point the thought of letting her out of his sight was impossible to process. He didn't leave the bunker anymore, his plans of finding Sakaki Yuya thrown to the wayside. The only reason he left was to make sure they had enough food and other resources. But then as soon as he returned he was back in her arms, drinking in her existence.

Despite the fact she was his and his alone, that nostalgia for the Fusion Boy was insistent. Whenever he was reminded of it, it was like another slap to the face. And the worst part was he could never act out on the anger it brought on him. Anything that would put Rin at a risk was a line he would never cross. Still he wanted to convince her of the truth so bad. He wanted her thoughts to be of nothing but him, for the same obsession he possessed to be returned.

So when he began to have memories of riding on D-wheels together and tinkering with scraps of metal to no end, Yuri embraced them. He had stolen one thing from the Fusion Boy, might as well take the rest. It didn't matter what this turned him into. As long as it meant holding onto Rin, then he'd throw anything to the wind.

* * *

"We're the same type of people deep down," His voice shot out into the pitch black of the room. "Bitter and used. Tired of people and a world that would be glad to see you die. He can't understand you like I can."

He always seemed to say these types of things when the line between the two of them was at its blurriest. With his head pushed into her hair and his arm snaked around her waist, she could have mistaken them for each other.

"That's why I need him." She could only muster a small voice. "He's my sun. No one else can light up my life like him."

"You need him like a moth needs a flame. He would have burned you." His grip around her waist tightened, but Rin still decided to break his hold to roll over and face him.

"Is that what I am to you? A fire you can't help but jump into?"

"I'd jump into you willingly." His stare was so intense Rin thought she might really combust under it.

"Then what's the difference between me and you versus me and him?" She dipped her head into the crook of his neck, wanting this illusion to last longer. "How can either last if someone is burned to ash?"

"Your warmth merely soothes me. It's better this way. Now the world won't harm either of us." His hands wandered across her body, like lost things unsure of where they should rest.

Rin sighed. She was so tired. "Whatever you say, Yuri."

She kept her eyes closed so she could lie to herself a little longer.

* * *

It took Yuri a few days before he was able to broach the question to her.

He had never been a fan of this idea, but it would take an idiot to deny its necessity. Each time he went out to collect groceries and other necessities, the patrols around Academia got tighter and tighter. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that one day they'd find the bunker and ambush them.

Yuri knew for sure how he'd act. He'd duel hundreds, thousands, just to keep Rin safe, but even flies such as those might overwhelm him by sheer numbers. If they could avoid that situation, it would be best for the two of them to disappear, never to be found by Academia.

So he slid the question to her over an innocuous meal.

"What do you think about leaving this place?"

Her entire body went rigid at his words. For a tense minute there was only silence between the two of them.

"I said what do you think about-"

"I know what you said," She snapped. "Just give me a second to process it." She cradled her head with one hand as the other tapped the counter insistently.

"Are you offering to free me?"

"No."

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"Have you seen Fusion's countryside?" His voice grew softer without him even realizing it. "It's a maze. So much green, so many hills. It would take them ages to figure they should start looking there. There's no way Leo would order an invasion on his own dimension. He'd have to send smaller, subtler groups and by then we'd be lost completely to them."

"What would we do there?"

Yuri shrugged, struggling to find words. "Whatever normal people do. You know about that better than I do."

Rin turned away, unable to look him in the eye. A few muttered words slipped passed his, but there was one that he managed to catch.

Him.

With a controlled fury, he walked around the counter to grip her chin so she was forced to look at him.

"Don't you dare be thinking what I think you're thinking."

"...and what's that?"

"Don't play dumb with me. It's what it always is."

"You just sound so similar when you talk about dreams like that."

"But I can make them come true. What do you want: a nice little cottage for the two of us? Another D-wheel? If you want I could card someone for you. Whatever it is I-"

All of a sudden, Rin pinned him against the wall in one brutal shove. Before he could react, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him with the passion of a dying sun.

Yuri's mind went completely blank. He had been trying to tell her something, but what did it matter? All he wanted to do was melt into this. He wanted to close the distance that remained between the two of them, to caress and touch every inch of his Rin. As much as his lungs begged for air, he'd have been happy to die like this. It didn't matter if she killed him like this. He'd accept a sword through his neck just to make sure this moment never ended.

However, when Rin pulled back, there were tears in her eyes.

"...Why are you crying..." His voice was hoarse as he tried to trace the side of her face, but she pulled away from the touch.

"I don't want this." Her words were so quiet they could have been stolen by a gentle breeze. "I don't want this, I don't want this, I don't want this, I don't want this!" Louder and louder they grew. Golden eyes glowed with an almost feral glint.

"I've tried so hard to forget what I had, to be satisfied with what I was left with, but it hasn't worked! I miss Synchro, I miss Yugo, and for all your sweet words you're still the one who murdered him! I don't want to be your little toy, I want to go home!"

Again he felt the similar rush of her jealousy flow through his veins, but before he could act on it she said,

"What are you gonna do? Kill me? Go ahead, I know I have nothing left. That still doesn't make things ok, and no matter how long you keep me alive that will always be the case. I didn't want my first kiss to be like this. I didn't want to live in a cage. I don't-"

"Will you shut up!" He grabbed her shoulders and began to shake, but the fear in her eyes pierced his heart in two.

She was utterly terrified of him. And for good reason.

The revelation left unable to move, to speak. Even as her arms tightened around his form and she dug her face deeper into his chest.

"I don't want this, I don't want this at all!" She sobbed.

And his only rational thought was that he agreed.

* * *

Rin didn't know if she really slept. After spilling her heart out to Yuri, neither of them had said a word, or even really moved. They just laid together like that, her shoulders still twitching like aftershocks of grief. By the time she started to process the world again, she could tell time had passed since then. Still she was unsure if her eyes had ever closed, or if her consciousness had simply been unable to recognize the world outside of her.

Both of them breathed in sync, chests rising and lowering to the same tempo. Then in a quiet voice, he finally spoke up.

"Rin..."

It hurt when he said her name like that. It was way too familiar for comfort. She didn't want to go back to that game. She just wanted to lay here until she faded away, but he was nudging her shoulder now.

"Rin, are you awake?"

She gave a slight grunt, planning to close her eyes as soon as she did, but the minute she made a sound, Yuri pulled her up and began to run.

Out the door, down the tunnels. It was so overwhelming Rin didn't know whether to fight or be led along. All she could was pump her legs along mindlessly as she tried to figure out just what was going on.

 _Oh god, we are escaping to the countryside like he suggested._

Once it hit her, they arrived in a man-made cavern with a small motorboat tied to a deck. Before he could lead her into the boat, she broke free from his grip and yelled,

"I told you already, I'm not-"

"Rin."

She looked him in the eye and couldn't help but gasp. They were the brightest blue she had ever known, and once she had been used to seeing that shade every day of her life.

"Yugo..."

"I'm right here."

Tears fell fast and hard. This didn't make any sense. Yuri said he was dead, but now, somehow Yugo was acting through his body. Had he been a ghost this entire time, haunting Yuri's every move?

Her heart sank at the realization. Dear lord, if that was the case that meant he must have seen everything. Not just her falling apart, but the kiss.

"Yugo, I'm so sorry I just-"

"Don't talk right now." He pressed a finger against her lips. "Just go. I don't know how long I'll have control, so you need to escape as soon as possible. Find Yusho. Yuzu said he could be trusted."

"Leave you, how could I? I don't know what's going on, but you gotta come with me. We'll make it back to Synchro and get a new D-Wheel. Don't leave me a second time!"

He gave a small smile, but it held none of that beloved warmth. "I want to go with you more than anything. But sooner rather than later, Yuri's going to be the one operating this body. I'd prefer suffering with him for an eternity than letting him be close to you again."

"How am I supposed to go at this alone!? I don't deserve to be the one who lives! I don't even know how to sail a boat, much less go back to a life without you!"

Gently, he cupped her head in his hands and pressed his forehead against hers. "You deserve the world, Rin. Don't ever believe otherwise. You can go and have an amazing life without me. You can steer this boat. It will just be like a D-wheel, pedal and steering wheel. Please, can you just do this for me? Run away from here as fast as you can. Find Yusho, please."

It felt like she was breaking into two. She couldn't even speak, but somehow she managed to nod her head and climb into the boat.

She did just as he said. She got away as fast as she could. Still she turned around just to get one last glimpse of him.

He had already turned to head back to the bunker.

* * *

When Yuri came to, Rin was not lying on him anymore.

Despite the shiver that ran down his spine at the realization, he tried to stay calm. Last night had been... intense. She probably needed some time alone to blow off steam.

Still, he'd rather catch a glimpse of her, just to ease his nerves. He wouldn't talk to her again until she was ready.

However when he went to check the bed, she was nowhere to be found. Unexpected, but no reason to panic. There was always the bathroom. No need to panic.

The door was unlocked, but still no Rin. He smashed his hand so hard against the glass it cracked.

"Shit, she's not gonna like this." His words came out in a shaky breath without him even realizing it as he watched the blood ooze down his hand. The last time he got it this cut up, he hadn't been paying attention while preparing them lunch after a long morning in the garage.

He stalked back out to the living area. All right, there couldn't be many other place she could be. The bunker was too small to afford many hiding spots.

Then a flash of inspiration came to him. Obviously she was just playing a joke on him, wanting to catch him off guard, like she had for that surprise birthday party when they were ten. He ran over to the bed and lifted it up, but there was still no Rin.

He threw it so it was laying upside down. "Where is she? I can't protect her like this this!" A restless energy had overtaken him, and it only grew stronger the longer she remained lost. "I can't protect her like this!" He tore down a bookshelf and smashed it in two. There was hardly any logic to his actions anymore, but the only thing that came close to sate his insanity was destruction. "If I'm not guarding her, the Professor might capture her again! Don't you understand? I CAN'T PROTECT HER LIKE THIS!"

Pure fury overcame him as he trashed the place, tearing the shower curtain in two, ripping the refrigerator door off its hinges. By the time he stopped to catch his breath, the entire bunker had been practically demolished.

Suddenly he was reminded of the Fusion Boy's existence.

"Fusion Boy! What happened?! Where is she?!"

"I have no idea," He materialized in front of Yuri, wearing a nonchalant expression as if discussing the weather.

He saw through his lie in an instant.

"You're going to tell me the fucking truth!" Yuri caught him a vice-like grip. "Either you do so willingly, or I make you!"

"Like hell I will!" He growled. "If you plan to beat it out of me, then you're only going to hurt yourself in the process. Just give up and leave her alone!"

"You think that will stop me!?" A sick laugh passed from his lips. "I'm not a failure like you! I will protect her, even if that means killing myself in the process! So go ahead and tell me where she is?!" His fist crashed against the Fusion Boy's face. Again and again he drove it into him, lost in the blood and screams.

Still once things were said and done, he had to admit one thing.

The Fusion Boy had lasted much longer than he expected.

* * *

That night was spent wandering the streets of Fusion in confusion. Her heart had been constantly hammering her chest, worried that Yuri or Academia would snatch her up before she found this Yusho. She had no idea who she was looking for, or what they even looked liked, but Yugo's words rang in her head again and again.

She had to find him, no matter what.

However she was interrupted from her mission when a quick hand grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt and pulled her in the nearest.

Rin fought and kicked, but her latest kidnapper blocked every blow, voice level and clear.

"You've been wandering around our hideout for too long. Submit and you will be mercifully detained. Resist and we'll... Ruri?"

Rin finally stopped to study her captor, a boy only a handful of years older than her and that looked as if he had discovered the secret to immortal life.

Despite his reaction she had no clue who he was.

"Rin," She corrected him and that joy vanished in a flash. Still she couldn't be swayed from her mission. "I need to find Yusho. Are you him?"

"No," He answered with a gruff sigh as he dropped her. "You're very lucky though, because I can take you to him."

* * *

Once settled, Rin found herself at a table with several other of the boy's comrades. At the head of it sat a man who seemed to be in his late 30's, another boy who seemed still a teen yet held himself like a general, and the Yugo lookalike she had seen while stuck in the tube.

The man was the first to speak. "So we've been told you're the bracelet girl that Yuri took off with back during our first invasion attempt."

"Rin."

"Yes, Rin. Was that you?"

"Correct."

"What was his purpose in doing so?" The general boy asked. "Since then he's been impossible to track down."

"We were hiding from Academia in an underground bunker. I don't know why he took me in the first place, but he said it was to protect me."

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" The Yugo lookalike interjected, worry evident to all. Somehow that made the question sting. Was he thinking of his own Rin, whoever she could be?

"Not in the way you're thinking." She played with the fabric of her shorts. "But I couldn't leave. He wouldn't let me, but then somehow Yugo appeared and told me to find you, so tell me what should I do?" Her voice grew shrill.

"Calm down," The man patted her hand in a fatherly manner. "Don't worry, we'll take care of you. But we've been trying ever since to rescue the girls like you from Akaba. Can you tell us anything else that might be useful? The sooner we stop him the sooner we can get you home."

As nice as home sounded, the mention of the man who had ordered her kidnapping in the first place sparked a curiosity in her.

"Just what does this Akaba want with-"

Just then, there was a scream outside, followed by a symphony of more. It was chaos; however, beneath the noise there was one constant.

A rageful roar Rin was all too familiar with.

* * *

At this point, Yuri was running on nothing but pure vengeance. Not even the allure of duels could distract him from his goal. He ordered Starve Venom to knock away anyone who tried to approach him. A few managed to slip in and Yuri carded them point-blank. None of this mattered. Not any of the flies that tried to distract him or the blood dripping from his duel disk. He'd kill them all if he had to. He'd burn Fusion itself to the ground.

He was going to find his Rin, and not even a god would be able to stop his rampage.

* * *

The entire room was thrown into motion as people donned duel disks and went to work. Rin tried to do something anything, but she felt like she was only following them around like a lost child.

The screams would not stop. The more duelists that ran out to face Yuri the more they grew in intensity. The roaring was growing louder and louder and Rin didn't know what to do but join the yells as well.

Thankfully she managed to gain enough self control to avoid doing so. Instead she tried to think as rationally as she could in this situation.

 _He's only here because of me. The longer I stand here, the more people will get hurt._

The mere idea of having to see him again sent shivers down her spine, still Rin couldn't keep doing nothing. She might be damning herself to a life of nothing but Yuri, especially with how unlikely she'd be able to escape a second time, still she rather sacrifice herself than let anyone else die because of her.

She stepped forward towards the source of the mayhem, but before she could join it, she felt someone grab her hand.

"Don't worry, I'll stop him." She turned to see the Yugo lookalike smiling fondly at her. "I won't let him hurt you. Just stand back. Please I don't want to lose you again."

Before she could question his behavior, he ran out with his duel disk raised.

And Rin got a front row seat to watch the birth of the Devil.


	5. Epilogue

The walk through the Commons was long but relatively uneventful. It was a simple enough route that neither of them need to speak for further clarification, so the two of them walked in silence. Things should have been left there, but Yuri couldn't help but take this time to study his partner.

For as much as she looked like Rin, the little details really set Serena apart. She wore her anger more freely, like a sword, something to brandish, not hide from the world. Combined with her Academia training, she carried herself like a soldier carrying out a vital mission as opposed to someone making a house call.

At the same time though, she wore her heart on her sleeve metaphorically and almost physically. There were little touches of softness everywhere: a large bow only little girls would usually wear, an open bluntness that didn't know deceit. For all her toughness she didn't think to hide any part of her for fear of seeming weak.

It occurred to Yuri then that if Leo hadn't interfered then supposedly the two of them were supposed to have fallen in love.

Looking her over, he felt not a single emotion.

"Why are you helping me?" The question slipped out before he could stop it.

"Don't think you can depend on me for the future." Her words her clipped and short. "We just have business that happens to collide," Suddenly she became more concerned with her sleeve. "And I can't turn down someone wanting to fix their mistakes."

Before he could question her statement, their destination came into sight. Quickly, Yuri hid himself while Serena went and knocked on the door.

From his vantage point he couldn't see or hear much, but after a few minutes, Serena walked away with Fusion Boy in tow. He had no idea what they had planned, only that it'd leave him with an hour or so with Rin. Plenty of time to lay things to rest.

When she answered the door, familiar golden eyes went wide with recognition. This was admittedly the least thought out part of the plan. There was no reason for her to want to talk with him, much less let him into her home. Regardless he said,

"How you doing? Care to chat for a while?"

Rin took a deep breath. "If you were planning to kidnap me a third time, I assume you'd have already done it. Sure, why not."

Yuri's heart did flips at the charming wryness of her words, but said nothing and simply followed her in. It had been six months since they had last seen each other; still he wasn't sure he was ready to talk to her just yet. It had taken a long time just to work up the nerve to face her again. He had to make this count.

Although as they sat down in a modest living room and Rin gazed at him expectantly, it hit him that he would never be ready to talk to her again.

The Fusion Boy's influence on him had been completely removed. He no longer remembered riding a D-wheel or the ache of searching for her only to come up empty. Still the mere motion of her tucking a curl behind her ear could make Yuri fall head over heels all over again. It made him bite his lower lip in frustration. Damn, this Wind Witch hadn't released her hold on him in the slightest.

"So, why are you here?" Her question brought him back down to earth.

Yuri searched for the proper words to open the subject of their disastrous relationship, but eventually just spat out the first thing that came to mind.

"Have you gotten the first kiss you've always dreamed of?"

Of all the things he could say, this clearly caught Rin off guard. She began to pick at the fabric of her shorts.

"No, we've been taking it slow since getting back here. I mean we both saw what went down, so it's difficult just to go back to acting like we used to."

It was surprising Fusion Boy's affection could ever be tempered, but then again he had front seats to the entire affair. It was a wonder he hadn't left her.

"It's a good thing Yugo isn't here," Rin gave a sour laugh. "The minute he laid eyes on you, he'd try to kill you."

"Is that how you feel?"

For a terrible minute neither of them spoke. There was only silence and the suffocating tension that seemed bent on strangling them both.

"Maybe," She finally answered. "I know I should, but at this point I just want the violence to stop."

It was on instinct he reached for her hand. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but she flinched from the contact and pulled away. It should have meant nothing, yet Yuri still felt a familiar twinge of pain work its way in his chest.

"Look, I know you won't believe it, but I came to say that I really did love you." It felt like he was pulling the stitches out of a half-healed wound.

Rin's eyes were trained on an empty wall. "Co-dependence isn't love."

"It might not have been love to you, but it was the best I could offer." For once in his life he wished to be more than a scary bump in the night. He wouldn't apologize, apologizing meant admitting everything he'd done had been wrong, that his entire life and philosophy was a lie. If he admitted that, then what was left of him?

She turned to look him straight on this time, golden eyes blazing with the same quick intellect he adored. "I think I loved who I thought you could be."

"Your Fusion Boy?"

"Not exactly," She gave a slight shrug. "Not just him, but a version of him that was just as messed up as me. Someone I didn't feel I was dragging down with my emotional stupidity."

For a second, he wanted to tell her again that the Fusion Boy didn't deserve her. He still thought few deserved someone like her, but now Yuri wondered if he qualified for that list.

"So what do we do now?"

"I know what I plan to do," Rin laced her fingers together. "Try to pick up where life left off before this Dimension nonsense began to interfere. Make another D-wheel. Aim for Duel Queen again. Finally tell Yugo how I feel and see what happens then."

"I'm not sure if there's a place for me to pick up from." Academia was gone. While he had claimed to be his own person, they had provided everything for him. Not just food and the technology to card anyone he wanted, but a purpose. Leo seemed bent on repenting in his own manner, but Yuri wasn't sure he'd even know how to do that.

"I guess coming here makes more sense than I thought." This time she willingly placed her hand over his. "Accepting this happened is as good a place to start as any."

Acceptance. That sounded nice.

The two of them sat in silence as they pondered over it. In the end, that really was the only way the two of them could ever part.


End file.
